Resilience Takes Root in Cuyama

In the face of growing climate threats, Blue Sky Center steps up as a Community Resilience Hub for the remote Cuyama Valley.

BSC Staff Outside the BSC building in Cuyama Valley, now serving as a Community Resilience Hub to host first responders during emergencies and disasters. 

In the remote Cuyama Valley, where emergency services are limited and disasters are increasingly common, Blue Sky Center (BSC) has emerged as a vital Community Resilience Hub. With only a handful of firefighters and police officers serving the area, this rural North Santa Barbara County community, which sits roughly 60 miles from Santa Maria to the west and Bakersfield to the east, depends on local resources to meet urgent needs in an emergency.

During the recent Madre and Gifford wildfires, BSC hosted firefighters and offered a landing zone for helicopters — helping to drastically speed up response times. The Center collaborates with the Family Resource Center, Cuyama Valley High School, and other local organizations to serve as designated evacuation sites, cooling centers, and food distribution points during extreme weather and smoke events.

Home to just ~600 residents, the Cuyama Valley has always relied on its own community in times of crisis. That’s why BSC is currently working with the County of Santa Barbara to explore cold storage feasibility for medications, food, and other supplies, and to install a solar microgrid to provide uninterrupted electricity during power outages. 

“Disasters aren’t waiting, and neither can we,” said BSC Resiliency Project Manager Tara Saylor. “Resilience Hubs are our community’s oxygen mask, helping us stay grounded, act fast, and support each other through wildfires, extreme heat, and other climate emergencies.”

Local facilities that provide shelter, power, or resources in a crisis help strengthen a more connected, resilient California Central Coast. From community centers to churches, schools, and businesses, these everyday spaces hold life-saving potential that the Central Coast Community Resilience Hubs Accelerator can help unlock. 

“CEC laid the groundwork — guiding us through risk assessments, training, and coordination with emergency agencies — so Blue Sky Center could leap into action when disaster struck.”